Bahiga Hafez turns 112, Google doodle on an iconic Egyptian multi-talented actor

Happy Birthday Bahiga Hafez!!!

Google today celebrates the 112^th birthday of Bahiga Hafez, the famous Egyptian screenwriter, composer, director, editor, producer and actress. Google dedicates a beautiful doodle to Bahiga Hafez, who was a pioneer in Egyptian cinema, the multi-hyphenate actor, editor, director, producer, costume designer and composer.

Bahiga Hafez was born on August 4, 1908 in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt to an aristocratic family with ties to monarchy. She began studying music in Cairo and later went on to study musical composition in Paris, studying piano at the conservatory.

Bahiga Hafez earned a degree in music composition in Paris in 1930 and then returned to Egypt, where she had success crafting music for the record companies of the day. Her career soon took a turn when she was cast as the female lead in the film ‘Zeinab’ (1930), for which she also composed the soundtrack.

Bahiga Hafez founded the company Fanar Films in 1932. She co-directed the film ‘al-Dahaya’ (1932) with Fanar Films. The movie was named ‘The Victims’ in English, in which she also played a major role. She was also the costume designer, composer and editor for the film. She remade the film 3 years later with sound.

Bahiga Hafez went on to produce and direct numerous films over the following two decades and later established an influential cultural salon in Cairo to support the city’s artistic community. Her work helped pave the way for the start of what is widely considered Egyptian cinema’s golden age in the 1940s, and she is depicted in the Doodle artwork wearing a costume inspired by the many opulent wardrobes she designed from this era of film.

Unfortunately, much of Bahiga Hafez’s work as a filmmaker has been lost and only the mentions of her work remains. A copy of her film al-Dahaya was found in 1995.

Bahiga Hafez died on December 13, 1983 at the age of 75. Google honours the world-famous multi-talented Egyptian woman on her 112^th birthday.

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